Elon Musk tops the Forbes Billionaires list for the second year in a row and is the richest person ever recorded, worth an estimated US$839 billion (HK$6.56 trillion).
His net worth skyrocketed by half of a trillion dollars from last year, thanks to a rise in the value of Tesla, and SpaceX which is aiming to go public in 2026. Musk is the first person ever recorded to reach the US$800 billion mark, as he moves toward becoming the world’s first trillionaire.
According to Forbes' 40th-annual World’s Billionaires list, wealth surged to unprecedented levels over the past year, with fortunes climbing at a record pace.
This year’s list features 3,428 billionaires, the most since the list’s inception in 1987. The world’s wealthiest people are worth a record US$20.1 trillion combined, up from US$16.1 trillion in 2025.
“It’s the year of the billionaire,” said Chase Peterson-Withorn, Forbes Senior Editor, Wealth. “The planet added more than one billionaire per day over the past twelve months as the AI-powered stock market boom boosted fortunes to previously unimaginable heights.”
Larry Page, cofounder of Google, follows far behind Musk, in the No. 2 spot with an estimated net worth of US$257 billion, followed by his cofounder Sergey Brin at No. 3 (US$237 billion). Jeff Bezos holds the No. 4 spot (US$224 billion) and Mark Zuckerberg (US$222 billion) rounds out the top 5.
President Donald Trump’s fortune increased by 27 percent, to an estimated US$6.5 billion, thanks largely to crypto dealings and his New York fraud penalty being thrown out. He ranks No. 645 worldwide.
The 2026 ranking features 390 newcomers, including Dr. Dre; Beyonce Knowles-Carter; and tennis legend Roger Federer.
Agencies and staff reporter
